Rockets’ newest big man at peace with decision, ready to get to work

He was hugged by Hall of Famers at Toyota Center and hailed by throngs, an estimated 10,000 strong, outside. He was celebrated and cheered, welcomed as everything from a worthy member of the lineage of Rockets superstar centers to “the missing piece,” as Hakeem Olajuwon put it, to a championship team.

Yet for all the famous faces and all the festivities, Howard was simply happy. He is the Rockets’ center, having made his choice he said just for himself. All the insinuations and accusations were gone, at least inside that arena and on that downtown street. The shots that he said had thickened his skin were put aside.

Howard, 27, did not mind the expectations. He spoke of winning an NBA championship. He endorsed Rockets coach Kevin McHale’s suggestion he should dominate as he had when he had become Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s target for two seasons of trade talks, roster manipulations and all-out recruiting pitches. He beamed that famous smile hour after hour.

Finally, as he took a seat in Rockets owner Leslie Alexander’s suite, he drank it all in, and said he was at last content and at home.

“It’s a great feeling,” Howard said. “All the stuff I’ve been through and the way people have tried to have me perceived, it’s a good feeling to be loved. It’s a good feeling to be wanted. After all these years, people still genuinely care. It means a lot.

“It’s a new beginning. A new age; that’s our team motto. But it’s really a new beginning for me. Coming here, having my family at the press conference. This didn’t happen when I first got in the NBA. It’s a great feeling. And then, having the fans and everybody show up, all the people who showed up today, it’s really, really big for me. I haven’t eaten all day, but I’m full. And I say I’m full it’s because people here just filled my heart with joy.”

‘One big family’

Howard had said all along that was what he wanted to find as a free agent, listing his happiness second after the pursuit of a championship-caliber team.

This was the message Alexander delivered two weeks ago in Los Angeles when he and Howard walked away from a dinner meeting at the Hotel Bel-Air and found a bench to talk privately. Howard said the conversation that night might have done more to convince him than anything else said by that large delegation of Rockets representatives, or the groups that would follow.

Alexander would not share what he said, but the point was clear.

“The theme was if he comes here it will be more like one big family,” Alexander said. “He will be taken care of. We take care of our players. And he’ll enjoy himself in a different atmosphere than he’s used to.”

Howard did not feel that level of acceptance in his one season with the Lakers. But by Saturday at Toyota Center, when Alexander introduced him, he left the script he had prepared to hit on that theme again.

“Happiness is really part of it,” Alexander said. “If you can be a great player and can’t be happy, what good is it? He will be very happy here. Dwight recognized his childhood dreams would come true as a Rocket.

“Dwight is a great player. I don’t think people realize how great he is. He’s going to show that in Houston. He’s going to have the staff around him. He’s going to have the players around him. And you’re also going to see what an engaging personality he is. He likes to smile. He’s a warm, engaging guy. People think because he smiles, he doesn’t care as much. That’s stupid. It’s just stupid.”

Those impressions of Howard have been common throughout his career before his indecision about remaining in Orlando or leaving L.A. led to other labels. Long before his seriousness was questioned on the cover of Sports Illustrated, his father questioned his 10-year-old son’s unrelenting smile on the court, approving only when Howard proved he could win happily.

Joy, winning can coexist

“You can do both,” said Rockets coach Kevin McHale, whom Howard called ‘Old School.’ “When I was back in college this guy in East Lansing, Magic Johnson, kicked my tail in college. Kicked my tail in the pros, too. He smiled while he did it. He had fun. You have to play hard. I don’t have any problem at all with Dwight having fun. You’re supposed to have fun. We’re truly blessed to play in the NBA. It is the best job you’ll ever have in your life. If you can’t enjoy it, you’re crazy.”

But McHale does have high expectations. He said he expects nothing less than domination.

“He can dominate the game so many different ways and he has dominated,” McHale said. “He’s had multiple seasons he’s been the most dominant big man in the NBA. He’s in his prime. Can he improve? Will he improve? Absolutely. You’re not taking a guy that’s not a well-established player. He has been the dominant big man in the NBA for multiple years.”
Howard, 6-11, said later that is what he expects, too.
“Before I got injured,” he said, “that’s what I did every night.”

But Howard chose the Rockets to chase a championship and knew that he will be measured against that standard. He reached the Finals in 2009 with the Orlando Magic, and the conference finals the next season. He has not won a playoff round in the four seasons since.

Following a feeling

“We have a great opportunity,” Howard said. “I’m not going to get up here and say we’re going to win five championships. I’m not going to do that. If we really dedicate ourselves and sacrifice everything we got for a championship, at the end of the season, we should be holding the trophy.”

For now, he was happy just to start over. Saturday marked not just the beginning of his tenure with the Rockets, but the end of the tumult of the previous two seasons, the end of the free-agency decision. The spotlight will follow him. The pressures and expectations will not change. But he seemed at peace with all of that, ready to embrace Houston back and to call, even a sweltering summer afternoon, “a beautiful day.”

“I had a good feeling in my soul about everything, the direction of the team, Les, Kevin, Daryl, everybody,” Howard said. “I just had a good feeling about what they were trying to accomplish. Talking to the guys, I just felt good about the situation.

“The one thing I kept telling myself is ‘I want to get past all of this. I’m not going to let this defeat me.’ Last year, I was really coming back off of injuries. I fought through that. This season, I get to start fresh. All that stuff is behind me. There’s no looking back. I know I made the right decision. I’m just ready. I’m ready.

“It’s a beautiful day, man. I’m excited to be here. I’m glad to have all that stuff over with and have a chance to start fresh. I’m looking forward to this opportunity. I think it’s going to be great. I’m ready. I’m ready.”